I Won't Let You Down
by Itsukika
Summary: Sonora's life has been utterly destroyed and she has promised to avenge her village. As events occur and lead to others, Sonora will find herself in the last place she thought to be; in the arms of a loving and understanding crew.  Sonora OC
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note;_**_ Hello! Thanks so much for checking this out and reading. I appreciate it so much and would love it if you reviewed my work. Comments, questions, and concerns concerning this writing are welcomed with open arms. I would really like if you shared with me things I could work on since I crave improvement. ^^ This is a fanfiction revolving around an OC by the name of Sonora and as events lead onto others...well, you'll see what happens! I'm not too sure when and how it'll end..I honestly have no clue to that. But you can expect a good amount of chapters from this. I...sadly **didn't have the brilliance to come up with One Piece, so I do not own it**. But if I did then Luffy and Nami would be smoochin' and huggin' and all that amazing stuff. (; This is rated T for violence...language...and possible romance. I don't _think_ anything M-rated will appear, but if so, you'll get a fair warning in the Author's Note. Alright, thanks again and happy reading! :D Tell me whatchur think.  


* * *

_I woke up, not too sure where I was, what had happened, and why I was on the dirt ground. I was out of breath, rasps escaped my gaping mouth instead of smooth inhales and exhales. I looked around me, struggling to focus my gaze.

Buildings were destroyed, turned over, even. Trees were uprooted, plant life dead. All that remained of the roads were rubble and pulverized gravel. It was as if a huge monster from Grand Line had walked through and took no notice to what it annihilated.

At first, that was what I had believed, a huge Sea King made its way to this village. But then, the first thing that came back to me was that I was far from Grand Line, too inland to be bothered with the sea's creatures. I was in my village in the middle of the main road.

Why I was there to begin with, in the middle of the road? I wasn't sure... But I did know that those were my fellow townsfolk lying on the ground around me, bleeding and dying. What had happened?

I racked my brain, trying to remember, trying to pull myself together…

I poised myself to get up, but with a yelp, I slumped back down to the ground, clutching my side. Putting my hand in front of my face, which was drenched with blood, the second thing I realized came to me: I, obviously, was injured.

Hesitantly, I looked down on the wound, afraid of what I would see. 

_A sword injury_, I concluded by the looks of it. I was slashed mercilessly, but by who?

I rested my aching head in my free hand, gently smacking myself. _Well, doing_ this_ won't help me remember._

Gripping onto my side, I got up onto my feet slowly. Woozy, I made myself to turn in a circle, getting a full look of my once upright and standing village. _I…live here_. I shook my head with disbelief. The place where I had grown up, the place where I had spent my first 19 years in, was ruins.

I forced myself to correct my last statement: _I lived here._

I stumbled over to the nearest person and gently turned them over so that I could see their face. He owned a produce stand on this street, made good business, too. Dead. I walked over to the next person, a woman who I recall had two children and lived a few streets away. Dead, with a knife still stuck firm in her chest. I swore I scouted out the entire village, observing every body, recognizing almost every one. I was in utter shock.

I made the decision to go back to my place, treat my wound, and then the rest would come to me sooner or later. I found it so weird that I couldn't remember what had happened. You'd think that you'd remember a little too vividly, the slaughter of your neighbors. But not a single recollection crept into my mind.

The walk to my cabin was eerie. There was no sound, not even the whisper of wind. It was like the world had been stilled, frozen, just so that I can make the trip to my home in horror. Horror, that's the next thing I realized. I was scared beyond belief. I would've quickened my pace, but my cut said otherwise. So slowly but surely, I made my way to my cabin.

It was dark by the time I arrived at the door. Or, should I say, the gaping hole where my door should've been. Ripped off its hinges, no doubt. So I just stepped in and found my way blindly around to the bathroom.

I rummaged around the cupboards until I found the proper medicine. I cried in pain as I treated my wound, stinging and still bleeding. It wasn't a shallow cut at all, but not deep enough to be fatal. Panting, I made my way to my room and got to my chest-of-drawers. Without a care, I took the first piece of cloth I touched, ripped off a proper amount, and tied it around my torso. A makeshift bandage, sure, but it'd do for now.

I struggled out the doorframe, back outside in the silence. I was at a lost at what to do and for the first time in a long time, I felt hopeless.

A distant cough snapped me out of my thoughts and back to the present. I strained my ears, praying that I didn't just imagine that sign of life. A minute or two passed before I heard the cough again. As fast as I could, I staggered towards the voice's direction.

I came upon the body after a few yards, in the shade of an uprooted tree. In the faint moonlight, I recognized neighbor and old friend Eden. She was in terrible shape, bent and twisted beneath the gnarly roots of the tree. I gently got her out from underneath and laid her out in the open. She looked like she put up a fight against the enemy, but her opponent must've been stronger. She had stab wounds all along her body and it seemed like her bleeding wouldn't stop, or would stop only when she had none left. She and I knew alike that she wasn't going to make it.

"What happened here?" I whispered, barely able to hear myself. "Eden?"

She looked into my eyes, my own terrified gaze reflecting back at me. She attempted to speak, but ended up coughing up blood instead. I tried consoling her as she got her breath back with much difficulty.

After a few minutes of her raspy breathing, she gasped to me, "Sonora, I'm so glad you're safe. Everyone else is dead…aren't they?"

I caught my words, finding it hard to say "yes". But my hesitation let her know, and tears formed in her eyes.

"It was horrible," she sobbed. "Horrible. Pirates. Lots of them. They attacked the entire village, stole everything they laid their eyes on. K-killed _everyone_..." I let her weep for the tragedy, the obnoxious sound of her bawling making the situation seem more real.

So it was pirates. My blood boiled at the thought of the greedy, murderous bunch, killing off my people. My chin shook with tears that wouldn't spill and I curled in, my shaking chin pressed up against my knees. This position must've been horrible for my current condition, but I stayed put, appreciating the pain. That pain was the only thing that felt real. My eyes closed, I listened to Eden sob, wishing I could do the same.

It seemed like several hours passed, and that was proven by the hint of pink forming in the dark sky. I stared at the horizon without a thought in my head, not blinking. "Dawn," Eden murmured.

She looked a wreck, the blood on her body looked more significant against her pale skin. I remember when we were young, playing in the streets without a care in the world. We were great friends back then, but as time passed, we grew apart. Nowadays, we're friendly, but aren't as close as we were. Staring at her on the brink of death, I was regretful.

"I'm sorry," I began, my voice wavering. "I'm sorry…so sorry…," by the fresh tears streaming down her face, I could tell she understood.

She held out her right hand, showing me a gold band with a precious opal. I remember this ring well. We were walking down the coast long ago, searching for shells to add to our immense collection. Her eye had caught sight of the stone and plucked up the gorgeous ring. "My lucky day!" she cried, placing it upon her ring finger. I had watched her face crinkle in frustration as she then placed the too-big ring upon her middle finger, then her pointer, and finally settling on her thumb. Even then, it was too big and I laughed at how ridiculous she looked sporting that ring.

...But she never took it off. Seeing it now fit perfectly upon her ring finger, where it was meant to be, took my breath away. So much time has gone by since then.

"Take it," she whimpered. I looked at her, eyes round. "Please! Take it," although her eyes were dull and tired, they had a fierce fire about them.

Reluctantly, I slipped the ring off and let it sit in the palm of my hand. "I need you to promise me two things," she whispered. I didn't take my eyes off of her as she said "First, guard that ring with your life. That's a dying wish from me to you," at this, her eyes shut, and I would've thought she died right then and there if it weren't for her saying, barely audible "S-second, you must find who did this,"

"Eden, Eden, I don't remember anything," tears welled up at last in my eyes, blurring my vision of my dying friend. "How can I do anything if I don't remember?" I pounded my fist against the cold ground in frustration.

"You must, you must kill them…kill them for destroying our home," Eden said more confidently. "I know how much this village meant to you," at this, my eyes flew wide open. "So do that for me, so I can pass on knowing that you'll find peace eventually," she turned her eyes up at me, not a single tear in her gaze. "Please, Sonora?"

We looked at each other for a minute, me crying silently at her words. There was no way I could find who did this, not a single chance. But she was looking at me so seriously, all I could do was nod. "Good," she said, pleased. Her eyes closed again and her breaths grew shorter.

"Their flag, upon it was the moon," she muttered.

"Wha-," I shook my head. "The moon? Do you mean th-," I cut my words short.

I closed her eyelids and stood up. I looked up at the sky, new tears sliding down my face.

Truthfully, it wasn't all that long ago that we were playing hop-scotch, jump rope, and annoying the village boys. _The boys_, I thought, _they must be dead, too._ With that thought in mind, I bent down and unraveled a shoelace from my battered shoe. The white lace has mud and blood stains, but it would work perfectly. I slipped the thread through the ring, tied the ends of the lace together, and slid is over my head. With the ring constantly bouncing off my neck on the blood-soaked lace, I could never forget my promise.

Just before I blacked out, I then came to realize I was all alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Author's Note;_**_ Why hello there. o3o I typically don't update this fast, but I had this chapter all ready to go and just had the urge to post it. So don't expect such speedy service all the time! D:_

_I would really appreciate comments on this chapter. I would really like to hear what people think about the end of this. (Hmm...although I'm not sure if I _will _get any reviews...though just know that I'm actually looking for some. x3 So don't be scared to click that _"Add a Review"_ button.)_

_That's about it! Thanks for perusing and I'll see you whenever I update next. (:

* * *

  
_

I woke up in a daze, staring up at the blotchy sky. As if someone spilled their warm-color pallet, the sky was streaked with reds, pinks, purples, and oranges. _It must already be sunset._

I sat up, head spinning and eyes aching. I didn't know what I was going to do. I felt so lost that it took all of my selfcontrol not to breakdown. I stayed in that position, sitting, until the half moon was far above my head. It was strange how things continued on even though your entire life was ruined. The sun would still rise in the morning, the sun would still set in the evening. The birds would keep singing and the wind would start up again eventually, never dying. That's what I spent the first half of the night wondering about.

For the second half, I tried coming up with ways to hunt down these pirates with the moon-flag.

When I had woken up yesterday on the ground, my wound was still fairly fresh, so I calculated that their ship would be about two, maybe even three days ahead. Where were they heading? Maybe the Grand Line? Perhaps this was their last event before heading off to the treacherous sea, to prove to themselves they were ready to take on the untamable?

_Think like a pirate_, I urged myself. _Where would a pirate go after a huge plunder?_ _Well, maybe to the nearest island and into a bar to celebrate. _I remembered a story my mother told me, about a pirate crew by the name of The Drunkards. After every plunder, they scurried off to the bar to celebrate, spending more than they had originally stolen. A small smile tugged at my lips at the story. Chances are there was never a crew by that name, but no doubt that that surely happens in real life. So, a pub was on the possible list of places they could've wound up.

But, would they of stopped at a local island? Or one farther away near the Grand Line? Oh, I didn't even know if that was where they were headed. But it seemed like everyone nowadays was heading towards the pirate's dream; One Piece was what every pirate wanted, and the only way to get it was to conquer that terrible stretch of ocean. Only fools with their heads screwed on loose would dare set foot in such a place. But, then again, only fools would slaughter an entire village for no apparent reason. Grand Line…that, too, was a possibility.

…No, no way was I going to Grand Line. There was nothing that could make me leave the peaceful enough Red Line. Grand Line, I nodded to confirm, was off limits.

These "moon pirates" still had to be in the Red Line. They must only be a few days ahead and it would take more than a few days to reach the Grand Line. Yes, I would catch up to them before the thought of Grand Line even touched their minds.

…But what would I do when I found them? There was no way in hell I could take them all on just by myself. I may have the power of a Devil's Fruit, but still; we were talking about a ruthless crew who would kill anything it set eyes on. My power couldn't take on that.

I grasped the makeshift chain around my neck and nervously played with the ring entrusted to me. Logic explained that there was no way I could fulfill my promise, but my mind and heart were telling me that I'd have to. In the end, I had to avenge my life somehow. Yes, that was what I was doing; avenging my life. They destroyed it along with all the people in it.

I lifted my head and listened as a new day begun, the night spent entirely on thinking.

_I suppose_, I thought, _that the real question was where to start_. Obviously, I'd need a boat of some sort, but there's no way there'd be one here now since the crew demolished everything. But, it'd be worth a shot to look, at least for parts and such. A boat was essential, as well as supplies. I could get those at the abandoned stores, as long as the pirates didn't ransack them all entirely. I'm sure the storekeepers wouldn't of minded.

I stood up, wincing at the discomfort, and started walking to the main road. As I walked, I felt as if I were walking through memories. It's an odd thing that I had been in this area, walked this same path, so many times, and all those times I didn't once think of the time I scraped my knee near that tree over there. Or that time when I hid in that exact clump of bushes while playing hide and seek with the local kids.

And I remembered, approaching the main road, the first time I came there by myself. I was scared and confused at all the bustle and haste. Now…it was empty, as well as all those memories; nothing but empty bottles with the slowly fading reminisces trapped within them. I guess it's true what they say, that you don't know what you had until it's gone. Or, maybe you knew what you had, always knew it was there. But you never thought it'd get taken away.

I was already half way down the main road, distracted by my thoughts. I shook out of it and concentrated on the goal of locating some sort of boat, but I had little hope.

The docks, where pretty much all the boats were, would be where the pirates should've come from. With their destructive intent, I doubted they'd leave the boats unscathed. But it was still the first place to look. Though I bet all the acceptable boats would be long eradicated, leaving just the "small-fry", measly sail boats that wouldn't even make it to the next island.

No, enough with the negativity. I was going to get off this island and set things straight.

I stomped towards the docks with a new swagger..but quickly seized the proud walk, my side demanding it.

It absolutely sucked being injured like this. I couldn't move efficiently, and for who knew how much longer. This would be a difficult journey if I was disabled like this. Perhaps I'll be able to find some more medical supplies in some of the shops to treat my wound more properly.

I reached the docks and was not surprised to find slabs of boat in whichever way; thrown and discarded as if they were nothing more than twigs. I gulped and took a few more steps forward, analyzing the area.

No boats were docked; they were all scattered about the land, a few scraps floating pitifully in the ocean nearby. Some pieces were more intact than others but there was nothing I could sail with. I swallowed any hope I had whole.

I walked down the dock, gently flipping pieces of boat over with my foot. Some could be useful in the making of a ship..but I was no shipwright. It would take me forever to build a boat and even that probably wouldn't float one bit. I know some people who had boats at their places, but those probably met the same fate as these.

I faced the fact that it was either build a boat or bust.

I feebly walked back up the dock, observing the damage once more without a choice. The dock used to flourish with fishermen and their catches, as well as little children running up and down the same path I was currently walking. Laughter. This village used to be filled with it. Now a mere ghost town, I made my way back up to the road without catching a single trill of the beautiful sound.

…..But I heard something else.

I stopped dead in my tracks, making a sharp right turn, my side screaming in pain. But I ignored it, only paying attention to the grasses I head the humanly sound from. I shook with the agony of my hopes rising rapidly. I did my best to suppress them, but when I heard it again, a cough, they sky rocketed and I staggered as fast as I could to those grasses.

When I approached them and looked down, a smile stretched my lips to their full capacity as I stared down at Skylar, alive.

I was not alone, and would not go through this alone.

Hopefully.


End file.
